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Bumper crop of kids, schools add kindergarten classes

Faced with 167 more junior and senior kindergarten students than it expected, the Algoma District School Board is adding additional kindergarten classes in six schools. New senior kindergarten classes will be added at F. H.
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Faced with 167 more junior and senior kindergarten students than it expected, the Algoma District School Board is adding additional kindergarten classes in six schools.

New senior kindergarten classes will be added at F. H. Clergue Public School, Etienne Brule Public School and Thessalon Public School, trustees decided Tuesday night.

New half-day junior kindergarten schools will be introduced at Alex Muir Public School, Central Avenue Public School (Elliot Lake) and R.M. Moore Public School.

For Grades 1 to 8, the board's overall enrolment is down 12 students from projections.

No changes planned in secondary schools

In Algoma's public secondary schools, there are 113 students more than expected.

Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School has 45 students above projections.

White Pines is up 26, Bawating is up 24 and Korah Collegiate is up 17.

Alexander Henry is down 24 from its expected enrolment.

No immediate classroom additions or staffing changes are planned at the secondary level because high schools experience more flux than their elementary counterparts.

Actual enrolments are declining

All of the above statistics are comparisons to projected enrolment.

However, comparisons to last year's actual enrolments tell a rather different story.

Overall, enrolments are down by 396 students in our elementary schools and by 295 in Algoma's secondary schools. Korah Collegiate is bucking the declining-enrolment trend with 732 students this year, compared to 683 at this time last year.

Korah's growing student body is largely attributed to its introduction of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, which offers advanced placement and in some cases, first-year university credits worldwide.

The principal who spearheaded the IB program at Korah, Bob Cole, was last night promoted to superintendent of education, the board announced.

Other changes approved last night:

- Due to enrolment changes, one class will be collapsed at Bay View Public School and one will be added at H.M. Robbins Public School

- Four schools that currently have half-time principals (Iron Bridge, Laird Central, Manitou Park and Spanish) will now have full-time principals. This change is made possible by new money received under the Rural Education Strategy Funding program

- Under the same program, LEAD congregated classes will be created full-time at St. Joseph Island and half-time at Echo Bay

- Also using the new rural education money, primary intervention will be increased from half-time to full-time at eight Algoma elementary schools

- A new half-time special education position will be created under a new provincial autism pilot project


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David Helwig

About the Author: David Helwig

David Helwig's journalism career spans seven decades beginning in the 1960s. His work has been recognized with national and international awards.
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